Moving seats in a vehicle to enhance occupant protection

ABSTRACT

The disclosure provides for a system. The system may include a rotational control system configured to rotate a seat of a vehicle, and one or more computing devices. The one or more computing devices may have one or more processors that are configured to determine that an impact is imminent at a location on the vehicle along a collision axis. A most favorable orientation may be determined by the one or more processors based on the determined location and collision axis. Using the rotational control system, the one or more processors may rotate the seat of the vehicle to the most favorable orientation in order to reduce risks of serious injury to a passenger in the seat caused by the imminent impact. A translational control system may be used by the one or more processors to translate the seat of the vehicle to a position relative to the determined location.

BACKGROUND

Autonomous vehicles, such as vehicles that do not require a humandriver, can be used to aid in the transport of passengers or items fromone location to another. Such vehicles may operate in a fully autonomousmode where occupants, or passengers, may provide some initial input,such as a pick up or destination location, and the vehicle maneuversitself to that location.

An important component of an autonomous vehicle is the perceptionsystem, which allows the vehicle to perceive and interpret itssurroundings using cameras, radar, sensors, and other similar devices.Data from the perception system is then used by the autonomous vehicle'scomputer to make numerous decisions while the autonomous vehicle is inmotion, such as deciding when to speed up, slow down, stop, turn, etc.These decisions are used to maneuver between locations but also tointeract with and avoid collisions with other objects along the way.

When a collision actually occurs, non-autonomous and autonomous vehiclesalike may include various safety mechanism systems to reduce injury topassengers. For example, the safety mechanism systems may include airbagsystems employed to protect passengers from impacts with the interior ofa vehicle after an object external to a vehicle has impacted a bumper ofthe vehicle.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Aspects of the disclosure provide for a method that includesdetermining, by one or more computing devices, that an impact isimminent at a location on a vehicle along a collision axis; determining,by the one or more computing devices, a most favorable orientation of aseat in the vehicle based on the determined location and collision axis,the most favorable orientation being an angle to the collision axis atwhich there is at least one of (i) a least likelihood of injury to thepassenger in the seat or (ii) a highest performance of personalrestraint system; and rotating, by the one or more computing devices,the seat of the vehicle to the most favorable orientation in order toreduce risks of serious injury to a passenger in the seat upon impact.

In one example, the method also includes translating, by the one or morecomputing devices, the seat of the vehicle a distance away from thedetermined location prior to impact to reduce risks of serious injury tothe passenger in the seat upon impact. In another example, the methodalso includes translating, by the one or more computing devices, theseat of the vehicle toward the determined location upon impact in orderto reduce forces on the passenger in the seat caused by the imminentimpact. In this example, the seat of the vehicle includes an energyabsorption means configured to cause the seat to translate toward thedetermined location at a controlled rate upon impact.

In yet another example, the seat of the vehicle is configured to allowthe passenger in the seat to translate along the collision axisindependent from the seat of the vehicle. In this example, the seatincludes a deformable material such that the passenger in the seat maytranslate during impact independent from the seat. In a further example,the most favorable orientation of the seat is an angle that is parallelto the collision axis with a front of the seat facing away from thedetermined location.

Other aspects of the disclosure provide for a system that includes arotational control system configured to rotate a seat of a vehicle andone or more computing devices. The one or more computing devices has oneor more processors configured to determine that an impact is imminent ata location on the vehicle along a collision axis; determine a mostfavorable orientation of the seat in the vehicle based on the determinedlocation and collision axis, the most favorable orientation being anangle to the collision axis at which there is at least one of (i) aleast likelihood of injury to the passenger in the seat or (ii) ahighest performance of personal restraint system; and rotate, using therotational control system, the seat of the vehicle to the most favorableorientation in order to reduce risks of serious injury to a passenger inthe seat upon impact.

In one example, the system also includes a translational control systemconfigured to translate the seat of the vehicle, wherein the one or morecomputing devices is also configured to translate, using thetranslational control system, the seat of the vehicle a distance awayfrom the determined location prior to impact to reduce risks of seriousinjury to the passenger in the seat upon impact. In another example, thesystem also includes a translational control system configured totranslate the seat of the vehicle, wherein the one or more computingdevices is also configured to translate, using the translational controlsystem, the seat of the vehicle toward the determined location uponimpact in order to reduce forces on the passenger in the seat caused bythe imminent impact. In this example, the seat of the vehicle comprisesan energy absorption means configured to cause the seat to translatetoward the determined location at a controlled rate upon impact.

In yet another example, the seat of the vehicle is configured to allowthe passenger in the seat to translate along the collision axisindependent from the seat of the vehicle. In this example, the seatincludes a deformable material such that the passenger in the seat maytranslate during impact independent from the seat. In a further example,the most favorable orientation of the seat is an angle that is parallelto the collision axis with a front of the seat facing away from thedetermined location.

In another example, the system also includes the vehicle. In thisexample, the vehicle is capable of operating autonomously.

Further aspects of the disclosure provide for a non-transitory,computer-readable medium on which instructions are stored. Theinstructions, when executed by one or more computing devices, causes theone or more computing devices to perform a method. The method includesdetermining that an impact is imminent at a location on a vehicle alonga collision axis; determining a most favorable orientation of a seat inthe vehicle based on the determined location and collision axis, themost favorable orientation being an angle to the collision axis at whichthere is at least one of (i) a least likelihood of injury to thepassenger in the seat or (ii) a highest performance of personalrestraint system; and rotating the seat of the vehicle to the mostfavorable orientation in order to reduce risks of serious injury to apassenger in the seat upon impact.

In one example, the method also includes translating the seat of thevehicle a distance away from the determined location prior to impact toreduce risks of serious injury to the passenger in the seat upon impact.In another example, the method also includes translating the seat of thevehicle toward the determined location upon impact in order to reduceforces on the passenger in the seat caused by the imminent impact. Inthis example, the seat of the vehicle includes an energy absorptionmeans configured to cause the seat to translate toward the determinedlocation at a controlled rate upon impact.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of an example vehicle in accordance withaspects of the disclosure.

FIGS. 2A-2D are example external views of a vehicle in accordance withaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is an example internal view of a vehicle in accordance withaspects of the disclosure.

FIGS. 4A-4C are views of an example seat in accordance with aspects ofthe disclosure.

FIG. 5 is an example top-down view of seats in a vehicle in accordancewith aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an example situational diagram in accordance with aspects ofthe disclosure.

FIG. 7 is another example situational diagram in accordance with aspectsof the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is another example top-down view of seats in a vehicle inaccordance with aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is yet another example top-down view of seats in a vehicle inaccordance with aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a further example top-down view of seats in a vehicle inaccordance with aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 11 is another example top-down view of seats in a vehicle inaccordance with aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 12 is yet another example top-down view of seats in a vehicle inaccordance with aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 13 is an example flow diagram in accordance with aspects of thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview

The technology relates to translating and rotating seats within thevehicle in a controlled fashion depending on the parameters of animminent impact. While avoiding collisions with other objects is aprimary goal for autonomous vehicles, in rare circumstances, there maybe an imminent and unavoidable impact. In other words, the vehicle'scomputing devices may determine that an impact cannot be avoided by wayof braking, steering, or accelerating the vehicle. When this is thecase, an autonomous vehicle's computing devices may work to move theseats of the autonomous vehicle in order to absorb energy from the crashand increase the time over which the passenger experiences the forces ofthe crash. As such, translating and rotating vehicle seats may reduceand dampen the peak impulse the passenger would have otherwiseexperienced. This, in turn, may reduce the amount of injury to apassenger in the event of a collision.

In response to a determination that an impact is imminent, the vehicle'scomputing devices may activate a rotational control system to rotate aseat of the vehicle to a most favorable orientation. The most favorableorientation may be an angle to the collision axis at which there is aleast likelihood of injury to the passenger in the seat and/or at whichpersonal restraint systems provides highest performance. Additionally oralternatively, the vehicle's computing devices may activate atranslational control system to move the seat of the vehicle a fartherdistance away from the determined location before impact. The seat maybe moved by the translational control system towards the middle of thevehicle, away from an intruding structure. The translation of the seatmay be along a track on which the base of the seat is configured toslide.

Upon impact, the vehicle's computing devices may continue to use thetranslational control system to move the seat away from the determinedlocation to reduce the velocity of the seat in relation to the objectimpacting the vehicle. The translational control system may also be usedto translate the seat of the vehicle at a controlled rate upon impactalong the collision axis and toward the determined location of impact.To control the rate of translation of the seat upon impact, thetranslational control system may include one or more means of energydissipation or absorption to dampen the acceleration of the seat due tothe impact. An amount of desired energy absorption may be based on anestimated speed of impact and/or an estimated force of impact.

In addition, as discussed in detail below, the features described hereinallow for various alternatives.

Example Systems

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 100 in accordance with one aspect of thedisclosure includes various components. While certain aspects of thedisclosure are particularly useful in connection with specific types ofvehicles, the vehicle may be any type of vehicle including, but notlimited to, cars, trucks, motorcycles, busses, recreational vehicles,etc. The vehicle may have one or more computing devices, such ascomputing device 110 containing one or more processors 120, memory 130and other components typically present in general purpose computingdevices.

The memory 130 stores information accessible by the one or moreprocessors 120, including instructions 132 and data 134 that may beexecuted or otherwise used by the processor 120. The memory 130 may beof any type capable of storing information accessible by the processor,including a computing device-readable medium, or other medium thatstores data that may be read with the aid of an electronic device, suchas a hard-drive, memory card, ROM, RAM, DVD or other optical disks, aswell as other write-capable and read-only memories. Systems and methodsmay include different combinations of the foregoing, whereby differentportions of the instructions and data are stored on different types ofmedia.

The instructions 132 may be any set of instructions to be executeddirectly (such as machine code) or indirectly (such as scripts) by theprocessor. For example, the instructions may be stored as computingdevice code on the computing device-readable medium. In that regard, theterms “instructions” and “programs” may be used interchangeably herein.The instructions may be stored in object code format for directprocessing by the processor, or in any other computing device languageincluding scripts or collections of independent source code modules thatare interpreted on demand or compiled in advance. Functions, methods androutines of the instructions are explained in more detail below.

The data 134 may be retrieved, stored or modified by processor 120 inaccordance with the instructions 132. For instance, although the claimedsubject matter is not limited by any particular data structure, the datamay be stored in computing device registers, in a relational database asa table having a plurality of different fields and records, XMLdocuments or flat files. The data may also be formatted in any computingdevice-readable format.

The one or more processor 120 may be any conventional processors, suchas commercially available CPUs. Alternatively, the one or moreprocessors may be a dedicated device such as an ASIC or otherhardware-based processor. Although FIG. 1 functionally illustrates theprocessor, memory, and other elements of computing device 110 as beingwithin the same block, it will be understood by those of ordinary skillin the art that the processor, computing device, or memory may actuallyinclude multiple processors, computing devices, or memories that may ormay not be stored within the same physical housing. For example, memorymay be a hard drive or other storage media located in a housingdifferent from that of computing device 110. Accordingly, references toa processor or computing device will be understood to include referencesto a collection of processors or computing devices or memories that mayor may not operate in parallel.

Computing device 110 may include all of the components normally used inconnection with a computing device such as the processor and memorydescribed above as well as a user input 150 (e.g., a mouse, keyboard,touch screen and/or microphone) and various electronic displays (e.g., amonitor having a screen or any other electrical device that is operableto display information). In this example, the vehicle includes aninternal electronic display 152 as well as one or more speakers 154 toprovide information or audio visual experiences. In this regard,internal electronic display 152 may be located within a cabin of vehicle100 and may be used by computing device 110 to provide information topassengers within the vehicle 100.

Computing device 110 may also include one or more wireless networkconnections 156 to facilitate communication with other computingdevices, such as the client computing devices and server computingdevices described in detail below. The wireless network connections mayinclude short range communication protocols such as Bluetooth, Bluetoothlow energy (LE), cellular connections, as well as various configurationsand protocols including the Internet, World Wide Web, intranets, virtualprivate networks, wide area networks, local networks, private networksusing communication protocols proprietary to one or more companies,Ethernet, WiFi and HTTP, and various combinations of the foregoing.

In one example, computing device 110 may be an autonomous drivingcomputing system incorporated into vehicle 100. The autonomous drivingcomputing system may be capable of communicating with various componentsof the vehicle. For example, returning to FIG. 1, computing device 110may be in communication with various systems of vehicle 100, such asdeceleration system 160, acceleration system 162, steering system 164,signaling system 166, navigation system 168, positioning system 170,perception system 172, and protection system 174 in order to control themovement, speed, etc. of vehicle 100 in accordance with the instructions132 of memory 130. Again, although these systems are shown as externalto computing device 110, in actuality, these systems may also beincorporated into computing device 110, again as an autonomous drivingcomputing system for controlling vehicle 100. As with the computingdevice 110, each of these systems may also include one or moreprocessors as well as memory storing data and instructions as withprocessors 120, memory 130, data 134 and instructions 132.

As an example, computing device 110 may interact with decelerationsystem 160 and acceleration system 162 in order to control the speed ofthe vehicle. Similarly, steering system 164 may be used by computer 110in order to control the direction of vehicle 100. For example, ifvehicle 100 is configured for use on a road, such as a car or truck, thesteering system may include components to control the angle of wheels toturn the vehicle. Signaling system 166 may be used by computing device110 in order to signal the vehicle's intent to other drivers orvehicles, for example, by lighting turn signals or brake lights whenneeded.

Navigation system 168 may be used by computing device 110 in order todetermine and follow a route to a location. In this regard, thenavigation system 168 and/or data 134 may store detailed mapinformation, e.g., highly detailed maps identifying the shape andelevation of roadways, lane lines, intersections, crosswalks, speedlimits, traffic signals, buildings, signs, real time trafficinformation, vegetation, or other such objects and information.

Positioning system 170 may be used by computing device 110 in order todetermine the vehicle's relative or absolute position on a map or on theearth. For example, the position system 170 may include a GPS receiverto determine the device's latitude, longitude and/or altitude position.Other location systems such as laser-based localization systems,inertial-aided GPS, or camera-based localization may also be used toidentify the location of the vehicle. The location of the vehicle mayinclude an absolute geographical location, such as latitude, longitude,and altitude as well as relative location information, such as locationrelative to other cars immediately around it which can often bedetermined with less noise than the absolute geographical location.

The positioning system 170 may also include other devices incommunication with computing device 110, such as an accelerometer,gyroscope or another direction/speed detection device to determine thedirection and speed of the vehicle or changes thereto. By way of exampleonly, an acceleration device may determine its pitch, yaw or roll (orchanges thereto) relative to the direction of gravity or a planeperpendicular thereto. The device may also track increases or decreasesin speed and the direction of such changes. The device's provision oflocation and orientation data as set forth herein may be providedautomatically to the computing device 110, other computing devices andcombinations of the foregoing.

The perception system 172 also includes one or more components fordetecting objects external to the vehicle such as other vehicles,obstacles in the roadway, traffic signals, signs, trees, etc. Forexample, the perception system 172 may include lasers, sonar, radar,cameras and/or any other detection devices that record data which may beprocessed by computing device 110. In the case where the vehicle is asmall passenger vehicle such as a car, the car may include lasers 214,216 and 218 (shown in FIGS. 2A-2D) or other sensors mounted on the roofor other convenient location. In some vehicles, the perception system172 may also include pressure transducers inside a vehicle structureconfigured to detect whether the vehicle structure is being compressed.

These sensors of perception system 172 may detect objects in thevehicle's environment as well as characteristics of those objects suchas their location, heading, size (length height and width), type, andapproximate center of gravity. For example, the perception system mayuse the height of an object identified as a pedestrian (or human) toestimate the approximate center of gravity of the object. In thisregard, the perception system may compare the characteristics of theobject to known anthropomorphic data to determine an approximate centerof gravity. For other object types, the approximate center of gravitymay be determined from the characteristics of the object using variousknown statistical analyses. Data and information required for thesedeterminations may be stored, for example, in memory 130 or a differentmemory of the perception system.

The computing device 110 may control the direction and speed of thevehicle by controlling various components. By way of example, computingdevice 110 may navigate the vehicle to a destination location completelyautonomously using data from the detailed map information and navigationsystem 168. Computing device 110 may use the positioning system 170 todetermine the vehicle's location and perception system 172 to detect andrespond to objects when needed to reach the location safely. In order todo so, computing device 110 may cause the vehicle to accelerate (e.g.,by increasing fuel or other energy provided to the engine byacceleration system 162), decelerate (e.g., by decreasing the fuelsupplied to the engine, changing gears, and/or by applying brakes bydeceleration system 160), change direction (e.g., by turning the frontor rear wheels of vehicle 100 by steering system 164), and signal suchchanges (e.g., by lighting turn signals of signaling system 166). Thus,the acceleration system 162 and deceleration system 160 may be a part ofa drivetrain that includes various components between an engine of thevehicle and the wheels of the vehicle. Again, by controlling thesesystems, computing device 110 may also control the drivetrain of thevehicle in order to maneuver the vehicle autonomously.

As discussed in more detail below, information from the perceptionsystem may be sent to various other systems in order to make decisionsabout when and how to deploy various safety mechanisms. In this regard,the perception system may send the information to the vehicle'scomputing devices which make such decisions and forward activationinstructions to protection system 174 which deploys one or more safetymechanisms 176 in accordance with the activation instructions. Inanother example, the perception system 172 may forward the informationdirectly to the protection system 174 which then determines whether andhow to deploy one or more safety mechanisms 176.

Thus, the vehicle may also include a plurality of safety mechanisms 176.These safety mechanisms may be configured to reduce the likelihood ofdamage to objects outside of the vehicle as opposed to those meant tospecifically protect passengers inside the vehicle. At least some ofthese safety mechanisms may be active, in that the device must beactivated or deployed by a signal generated by one or more computingdevices when an impact is imminent.

FIGS. 2A-2D are examples of external views of vehicle 100. As can beseen, vehicle 100 includes many features of a typical vehicle such asheadlights 202, windshield 203, taillights/turn signal lights 204, rearwindshield 205, doors 206, side view mirrors 208, tires and wheels 210,and turn signal/parking lights 212. Headlights 202, taillights/turnsignal lights 202, and turn signal/parking lights 212 may be associatedthe signaling system 166. Light bar 207 may also be associated with thesignaling system 166.

FIG. 3 is an example internal view of vehicle 100 through the opening ofdoor 206. In this example, there is of a row of two seats 302 forpassengers with a console 304 between them. Directly in ahead of seats302 is a dashboard configuration having a storage bin area 308 and theinternal electronic display 310. As can be readily seen, the vehicledoes not include a steering wheel, gas (acceleration) pedal, or brake(deceleration) pedal which would allow for a semiautonomous or manualdriving mode where a passenger would directly control the steering,acceleration and/or deceleration of the vehicle via the drivetrain.Rather, user input is limited to a microphone (not shown), features ofthe console 304, and wireless network connections in vehicle 101. Inthis regard, internal electronic display 310 merely provides informationto the passenger and need not include a touch screen or other interfacefor user input. In other embodiments, the internal electronic display310 may include a touch screen or other user input device for enteringinformation by a passenger such as a destination, etc.

In certain implementations, one or more seats in the vehicle may beconfigured as shown in FIGS. 4A-4C. A seat 400 may have a front end 402and a back end 404. The back end 404 may comprise a back support 406extending upward from the back end of a base 408 of the seat. Also, theseat may have a top end 410 and a bottom end 412. The top end 410 may bethe top of the back support 406 and may include a head rest 414, and thebottom end 412 may be the bottom of the base 408 of the seat and mayinclude a foot rest 416. When a passenger is seated in the seat, he orshe may have his or her back in contact with the back support 406 and befacing the front end 402 of the seat with his or her legs arranged overthe front end of the base 408. The passenger's feet may be in contactwith the foot rest 416. Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, the seat 400 maybe capable of reclining at an angled or completely flat position. Asdiscussed in detail below, the seat 400 of vehicle 100 may be configuredto translate and/or rotate within the vehicle.

When the vehicle is in operation, one or more seats of the vehicle maybe positioned in a non-traditional arrangement. For example, as shown inFIG. 5, seats 400, 502, 504, and 506 may be positioned in a circlefacing each other in vehicle 100 while vehicle 100 is traveling indirection of arrow 510. Seats 400, 502, 504, and 506 are all not facingthe direction of arrow 510 in which vehicle 100 is traveling.

The one or more safety mechanisms 176 may include one or more controlsystems configured to control one or more seats in the vehicle 100. Theone or more control systems may include a rotational control system 178.The rotational control system 178 may be configured to rotate the seat400 about a vertical axis attached at the base 408 of the seat, or theyaw axis of the seat. By rotating about the vertical axis, therotational control system 178 may change the direction the seat faces.The rotational control system 178 may also be configured to rotate theseat 400 about a longitudinal, and/or roll, axis, which means being ableto tilt the seat to one side or the other. Further, the rotationalcontrol system 178 may be configured to rotate the seat 400 about alateral, or pitch, axis, which means being able to tilt the seat forwardor backward. Being configured to rotate the seat about the lateral axismay also mean being able to tilt the back support of the seat forward orbackward independent from the base of the seat. Therefore, if a seat isreclined with the back support of the seat angled back, such as in FIG.4C, the rotational control system 178 may rotate the back support to anupright position, such in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

The one or more control systems may also include a translational controlsystem 180. The translational control system 180 may include an activeactuator, such as a linear motor or a pyro-based gas pressure,configured to move the seat 400 along tracks or guide rails in thevehicle. The translation of the seat may be along a track on which thebase of the seat is configured to slide.

Example Methods

In addition to the operations described above and illustrated in thefigures, various operations will now be described. It should beunderstood that the following operations do not have to be performed inthe precise order described below. Rather, various steps can be handledin a different order or simultaneously, and steps may also be added oromitted.

Prior to deploying the safety mechanisms, vehicle's computing devicesmay use information from the vehicle's sensors to identify and trackobjects in the vehicle's environment. For example, one or more computingdevices of the perception system may use information form the vehicle'ssensors to detect and identify the characteristics (size, speed, shape,direction, object type, etc.) of various objects in the vehicle'senvironment. FIG. 6 is an example 600 bird's eye view of vehicle 100 asit drives along roadway 620 in the direction of arrow 510. In thisexample, the one or more computing devices of the perception system 172may identify, among other things, the location and object type ofvehicle 610. After a brief period of tracking this object, theperception system 172 may determine the speed and heading of vehicle 610as shown by arrow 612. Accordingly, the perception system 172 maydetermine that vehicle 610 is traveling along roadway 622, which runsperpendicular to roadway 620.

In addition, the vehicle's computing devices may use the characteristicsof the object, such as speed and heading, to predict future locationswhere the object will be. For example, as shown in example 700 of FIG.7, trajectory lines 702 and 712 represent predicted future locations ofvehicle 100 and vehicle 610, respectively. Because the predicted futurelocations of these objects are just that, predictions, predictions mayquickly become less accurate the farther into the future they become.

The vehicle's computing devices may also determine whether the futurelocations indicate that the vehicle will collide with the object. Forexample, the perception system 172 or computing device 110 may determinethat an impact with vehicle 610 is likely to occur at the locations ofpredicted impact point 722, respectively. Each of these impact pointsmay be defined as a three-dimensional coordinate (X, Y, Z) in space suchas latitude, longitude, and altitude or similar.

In most cases, if a collision is likely, the vehicle's computing devicesmay maneuver the vehicle in order to avoid the object. For example,computing device 110 may use the steering, acceleration and decelerationsystems to maneuver vehicle 100 out of the path of vehicle 610.

However if there is not enough time to avoid the object, (i.e. notenough distance, not enough braking power, not enough room to go aroundor avoid etc.) the vehicle's computing devices may determine that animpact with the object is imminent. For example, an impact may beimminent, when an impact is predicted to occur within a predeterminedperiod of time, such as a few seconds or more or less. When an impact isimminent, the vehicle's computing devices may send a signal to theprotection system 174 in order to deploy one or more of the activesafety mechanisms. For example, the vehicle's computing devices 110 maydetermine that the vehicle will not be able to safely maneuver out ofthe way in order to avoid vehicle 610 before both vehicles 100 and 610reach impact point 722.

Where a vehicle's computing devices are able to determine that an impactis imminent, the vehicle's computing devices may work to move seats ofthe vehicle in advance of the impact.

A location of impact on the vehicle and a collision axis may bedetermined based on the predicted trajectories of the object and thevehicle. The location of impact may be a side of the vehicle, such asthe front, the driver side, the passenger side, and the rear. Thecollision axis may be based on an estimated angle of impact of theobject with the location of the vehicle. The information from thevehicle's sensors may be used for the determination of the location ofimpact and the collision axis. For example, as depicted in FIG. 8,vehicle 610 is projected to “T-bone” vehicle 100 on the driver side ofvehicle 100. The impact point 722 of vehicle 610 on vehicle 100 isprojected to be located on the rear driver side door of vehicle 100. Thecollision axis 802 is projected to be perpendicular to the direction oftravel, represented by arrow 510, of vehicle 100.

In response to determining the location of impact and the collisionaxis, the vehicle's computing devices may activate a rotational controlsystem to rotate a seat of the vehicle to a most favorable orientation.The rotational control system may include an actuator, such as apyro-actuator that is configured to unlock and rotate the seat to afixed position. The most favorable orientation may be an angle to thecollision axis at which there is a least likelihood of injury to thepassenger in the seat and/or at which personal restraint systems performbest. The most favorable orientation may also take into accountpositions of other passengers, seats, or other objects within thevehicle in order to reduce any secondary impacts with persons or objectswithin the vehicle. In some systems, the most favorable orientation maybe forward-facing in the vehicle so that a passenger is sitting uprightand fully facing an airbag upon impact. For these systems, when impactis determined to be imminent, the rotational control system may rotate aseat of the vehicle to a position in front of an airbag and facing theairbag in an upright position. In other systems, the most favorableorientation may be parallel to the collision axis with the front of theseat facing away from the determined location of impact. In other words,for these other systems, the seat may be rotated so that the back of theseat is upright and faces the determined location and thus is positionedbetween the determined location of impact and a passenger in the seat.Alternatively, the seat may be rotated so that the back of the seat isparallel to the floor of the vehicle, and the base of the seat ispositioned between the determined location of impact and a passenger inthe seat.

Seat 400 of vehicle 100 is initially positioned near the rear driverside door of vehicle 100 and facing a direction of arrow 804. Seat 400is therefore positioned at an angle 806 to the collision axis 802. Oncethe impact location 722 at the rear driver side door and the collisionaxis 802 are determined, the rotational control system 178 of vehicle100 is activated to rotate seat 400 to be more or less parallel tocollision axis 802, or to face directly away from the rear driver sidedoor of vehicle 100, as shown in FIG. 9. In this position, the backsupport 406 of seat 400 is in an upright position between a passenger inseat 400 and the impact point 722. Seats 502, 504, 506 may also berotated to be more or less parallel to collision axis 802 inanticipation of impact.

Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle's computing devices mayactivate a translational control system to move the seat of the vehiclea farther distance away from the determined location before impact. Inother words, the seat of the vehicle may be moved away from a dangerzone where more serious injury to a passenger may likely occur due tovehicle intrusion and/or inertial forces and may experience less crashenergy since there may be more time for other parts of the vehicle toabsorb some of the crash energy. The seat may be moved by thetranslational control system towards the middle of the vehicle. Forexample, the seat 400 is positioned by the rear driver side door at adistance 902, such as three (3) inches or more or less. When it isdetermined that there may be imminent impact at impact location 722 onvehicle 100, the translational control system 180 is activated to moveseat 400 to a distance 904 from the rear driver side door that is afarther distance than distance 902, such as six (6) inches or more orless.

The translational control system may also be activated prior to impactto move the seat of the vehicle away from other persons or objects inthe vehicle in order to reduce secondary impacts. In particular, thetranslational control system may move the seat of the vehicle fartheraway from another seat and/or out of the way from a predicted trajectoryof another seat. For example, a collision at impact point 722 of vehicle100 is likely to cause seat 400 to accelerate in the direction of seat502, which is positioned near seat 400 opposite the rear driver sidedoor. Therefore, when it is determined that there may be imminent impactat impact point 722, seat 502 is translated toward the back of the cabinof vehicle 100. In this way, seat 502 is moved farther away from seat400 and out of the way of the predicted trajectory of seat 400.

During impact, the vehicle's computing devices may also continue to usethe translational control system to move the seat away from thedetermined location. Moving the seat during impact away from thedetermined location of impact may reduce the velocity of the seat inrelation to the object impacting the vehicle. As a result, the seat ofthe vehicle may experience less acceleration due to the impact. Inaddition, the seat may also experience less crash energy since there maybe more time for other parts of the vehicle to absorb crash energy.

The vehicle's computing devices may also activate a translationalcontrol system to translate the seat of the vehicle at a controlled rateupon impact. The seat may be translated along the collision axis andtoward the determined location of impact. In vehicle 100 illustrated inFIG. 10, the translational control system 180 moves seat 400 a distance1002, for example three (3) inches, in the direction of the impact pointafter vehicle 610 collides with vehicle 100. The translation of the seatmay be along a guide rail on which the base of the seat is configured toslide. To control the rate of translation of the seat upon impact, thetranslational control system may include a means of energy dissipationor absorption. The translational control system may also determine anamount of desired energy absorption based on an estimated speed ofimpact and/or an estimated force of impact.

For example, the guide rail may include a viscous fluid damper whichtranslates a fluid as the seat is translated along the guide in order toabsorb some energy. Translating the fluid may be forcing the fluidthrough an orifice where the size of the orifice may be controlledaccording to a desired amount of energy absorption. In another example,prior to impact, the guide rail may be filled with a deformablematerial, e.g. pellets, such that the deformable material is crushed asthe seat is translated in order to absorb some energy. An amount anddensity of deformable material may be controlled by a pyro-actuatedpiston or an inflator according to a desired amount of energyabsorption. Furthermore, brakes of the base of the seat on the guiderail may be engaged in order to absorb some energy. An amount ofpressure to apply on the brakes may be controlled according to a desiredamount of energy absorption. Using one or more of the aforementionedmeans or any known means of energy dissipation or absorption, some crashenergy may be absorbed thereby damping the translation of the seat.

In alternate examples, the vehicle's computing devices may activate thetranslational control system to move the seat of the vehicle in relationto a passenger in the seat as a means of positioning the passenger inthe seat for increased safety. A preferred position for safety of apassenger may be where the passenger is in firm contact with the seatand/or other safety mechanisms, such as a seat belt pre-tensioningdevice, are able to perform more effectively. For example, returning toFIG. 4, a passenger may be sitting or leaning forward in the seat 400,and the translational control system may move in the direction of thepassenger in order to have the passenger's back in full contact with theback support 406 of the seat and the passenger's head in contact withthe head rest 414 of the seat. In some implementations, translation ofthe seat away from a location of impact as described previously andtranslation of the seat in relation to the passenger may be accomplishedtogether in one movement of the seat.

The translational control system may further be configured to move theseat upward or downward in the vehicle. For example, base 408 of seat400 may be configured to move up or down in relation to the vehicle'scabin, or may be of deflatable or inflatable material. The vehicle'scomputing devices may therefore activate the translational controlsystem before impact to drop the seat downward. The seat may be droppedat a rate at which a passenger's spinal column may become extended. Whenthe spinal column is extended, the spinal ligaments may be stretched andtherefore have some tension, or stress. Upon impact, the extended spinalcolumn may experience less severe lateral motion and shear gradient thana resting spinal column due to the pre-stressed ligaments. The sheargradient at impact may be reduced due to the increased spacing betweenneighboring vertebral foramen in the spinal column.

During impact, the seat may be deformable such that a passenger in theseat may translate independent from the seat. The seat may be deformableunder load due to the nature of the materials of which the seat is made,such as viscoelastic materials or crushable foams. In other examples,the seat may be configured to deform using layers of fabric with seamsthat are able to be torn under load. The seat may further be configuredto deploy an energy-absorbing system, such as an airbag, before impactthat is deformable upon impact. During impact, the seat may be deformedby stretching, softening, compressing, expanding, tearing, buckling,etc. so that a passenger in the seat may translate along a collisionaxis toward the determined location of impact. For example, upon impactat impact point 722, and seat 400 is rotated to have back support 406between impact point 722 and a passenger in seat 400, the back of theseat, including back support 406, may stretch to dampen the accelerationof the passenger toward the location of impact, as shown in FIG. 11. Thepassenger may therefore sink into the back of the seat.

In further examples, a seat may be adjustable to a reclined or flatposition so that a passenger may be lying back or lying down in thevehicle. In this example, the most favorable orientation for a reclinedor flat seat may be that the axis along the top end and the bottom endof the seat is in a plane parallel to the collision axis. The seat mayadditionally be configured to translate along the top-bottom axis uponimpact in order to absorb some crash energy. As shown in FIG. 12,vehicle 100 that is travelling in direction of arrow 510 is projected tocollide with vehicle 610 at impact point 1202. The collision axis istherefore along arrow 1204, lengthwise across vehicle 100. Vehicle 100includes seat 400 that is in a flat position. Before impact, seat 400 ismoved into a position by rotational control system 178 and/ortranslational control system 180 where foot rest 416 is between impactpoint 1202 and a passenger in seat 400. Upon impact, translationalcontrol system 180 is used to move seat 400 in the direction of impactpoint 1202 a distance 1206, such as three (3) inches. Furthermore, thefoot rest of a reclined or flat seat may be deformable similar to theback of the seat discussed previously to further absorb crash energy.

The rotational control system and/or the translational control systemmay alternatively be activated as described above when impact isinitially detected at a location of impact on the vehicle along acollision axis. The impact may be initially detected using sensors ofthe perception system 172 configured to detect changes in vehicle shapeor pressure on the vehicle, such as pressure transducers in a door ofthe vehicle. The sensors may therefore be used to determine the locationof impact and the collision axis. In response to detecting the impact, aseat may be rotated and/or translated to a position that reduces injuryto a passenger in the seat, such as a most favorable orientation and/ora distance away from the location of impact.

Furthermore, passive systems, such as deformable material in the seatand pyro-actuated systems, may be used without determining a location ofimpact and/or a collision axis.

FIG. 13 is an example flow diagram 1300 including a method for reducinglikelihood of injury to a passenger in a collision, in accordance withsome of the aspects described above. For example, at block 1310, alocation on a vehicle where an imminent impact is likely to occur may bedetermined, as well as a collision axis along which the imminent impactis likely to travel may be determined. The location may be a particularside or door of the vehicle, and the collision axis may be based on adirection of impact.

Based on the determined location of impact and collision axis, a mostfavorable orientation of a seat in the vehicle may be determined atblock 1320. The most favorable orientation of the seat may be wherethere is a least likelihood of injury to the passenger in the seatand/or at which personal restraint systems perform best. In someexamples, the most favorable orientation of the seat may be determinedas an angle to the collision axis, such as parallel to the collisionaxis with the back of the seat between the location of impact and apassenger in the seat.

At block 1330, the seat of the vehicle may be rotated to the mostfavorable orientation to reduce the risks of serious injury to apassenger in the seat upon impact. The rotation of the seat may beperformed by a rotational control system that is activated by thevehicle's one or more computing devices. The seat may be rotated alongone or more of the vertical axis, longitudinal axis, or lateral axis inorder to protect the passenger in the seat from the primary andpotential secondary impacts.

At block 1340, the seat of the vehicle may be translated a distance awayfrom the determined location of impact prior to impact to further reducethe risks of serious injury to the passenger. The translation of theseat may be performed by a translational control system that isactivated by the vehicle's one or more computing devices. The seat mayalso be translated away from other seats or objects in the vehicle tofurther reduce the risks of injury due to secondary impacts.

Upon impact, the seat may be translated toward the determined locationupon impact in order to reduce acceleration forces on the passengercaused by the imminent impact at block 1350. Specifically, thetranslation toward the determined location may be at a controlled rate,or dampened. Means of energy dissipation or absorption may be used bythe translation control system when activated by the vehicle's computingdevices to achieve the reduction of acceleration forces on thepassenger.

The features described above may provide for a system for moving seatsin a vehicle to absorb crash energy in a collision. Should a collisionoccur, a passenger may be less seriously injured because he or sheexperienced less acceleration due to the impact and/or was moved awayfrom the area where more serious injury would have likely occurred.Medical bills may be less expensive as a result, and potential liabilityto vehicle owners may be reduced. In addition, seating system may alsoexperience less acceleration from the collision and therefore mayrequire fewer repairs or otherwise be more likely to be usable after thecollision. Because these features move seats into safer position beforea collision, more untraditional seating arrangements may be used invehicles.

Although the examples described herein are related to the use ofvehicles when operating in autonomous driving modes, such features mayalso be useful for vehicles operating in manual or semi-autonomous modesor for vehicles having only manual driving mode and semi-autonomousdriving modes. In such cases, an active or passive safety mechanism maybe identified as discussed above. However, when making the determinationas to whether to deploy the active or passive safety mechanism and/orcontrol the vehicle as discussed above, the reaction time of the drivermay be compared with the estimated time at which an impact with anobject is expected to occur. Reaction times may be determined, forexample, by monitoring a specific driver's reaction times over time orby using average or expected reaction times for drivers in general. Ifthe reaction time is too slow, the vehicle's computing device may thenuse the estimated time when an update will be received to determinewhether to deploy the active safety mechanism and, in the case of avehicle with such capabilities to take control and maneuver the vehicleas discussed in the examples above.

Unless otherwise stated, the foregoing alternative examples are notmutually exclusive, but may be implemented in various combinations toachieve unique advantages. As these and other variations andcombinations of the features discussed above can be utilized withoutdeparting from the subject matter defined by the claims, the foregoingdescription of the embodiments should be taken by way of illustrationrather than by way of limitation of the subject matter defined by theclaims. In addition, the provision of the examples described herein, aswell as clauses phrased as “such as,” “including” and the like, shouldnot be interpreted as limiting the subject matter of the claims to thespecific examples; rather, the examples are intended to illustrate onlyone of many possible embodiments. Further, the same reference numbers indifferent drawings can identify the same or similar elements.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: determining, by one ormore computing devices, that an impact is imminent at a location on avehicle along a collision axis; determining, by the one or morecomputing devices, a most favorable orientation of a seat of the vehiclefor the determined location of the impact and the collision axis, themost favorable orientation being an angle to the collision axis prior toimpact at which there is at least one of (i) a least likelihood ofinjury to a passenger in the seat given the determined location and thecollision axis or (ii) a highest performance of a personal restraintsystem given the determined location and the collision axis; rotating,by the one or more computing devices, the seat of the vehicle to themost favorable orientation prior to impact in order to reduce risks ofserious injury to the passenger in the seat upon impact; translating, bythe one or more computing devices, the seat of the vehicle to reducerisks of serious injury to the passenger by sliding a base portion ofthe seat along a guide rail; and selectively dispensing, by the one ormore computing devices, a fluid or a deformable material to the guide inorder to absorb at least a portion of energy caused by the impact. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the translating the seat of the vehicleincludes sliding the seat of the vehicle a distance away from thedetermined location prior to impact to reduce risks of serious injury tothe passenger in the seat upon impact.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe translating the seat of the vehicle includes sliding the seat of thevehicle toward the determined location upon impact in order to reduceforces on the passenger in the seat caused by the imminent impact. 4.The method of claim 3, further comprising absorbing, by the one or morecomputing devices, energy from translating the seat of the vehicle tocause the seat to translate toward the determined location at acontrolled rate upon impact.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the seatof the vehicle is configured to allow the passenger in the seat totranslate along the collision axis independent from the seat of thevehicle.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the seat comprises adeformable material such that the passenger in the seat may translateduring impact independent from the seat.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the most favorable orientation of the seat is an angle that isparallel to the collision axis with a front of the seat facing away fromthe determined location.
 8. A system comprising: a rotational controlsystem configured to rotate a seat of a vehicle; a translational controlsystem configured to translate a seat of the vehicle; and one or morecomputing devices having one or more processors configured to: determinethat an impact is imminent at a location on the vehicle along acollision axis; determine a most favorable orientation of the seat ofthe vehicle for the determined location of the impact and the collisionaxis, the most favorable orientation being an angle to the collisionaxis prior to impact at which there is at least one of (i) a leastlikelihood of injury to a passenger in the seat given the determinedlocation and the collision axis or (ii) a highest performance of apersonal restraint system given the determined location and thecollision axis; rotate, using the rotational control system, the seat ofthe vehicle to the most favorable orientation prior to impact in orderto reduce risks of serious injury to the passenger in the seat uponimpact; translate, using the translational control system, the seat ofthe vehicle to reduce risks of serious injury to the passenger bysliding a base portion of the seat along a guide rail; and selectivelydispense a fluid or a deformable material to the guide rail in order toabsorb at least a portion of energy caused by the impact.
 9. The systemof claim 8, wherein the one or more computing devices is configured totranslate, using the translational control system, the seat of thevehicle by sliding the seat of the vehicle a distance away from thedetermined location prior to impact to reduce risks of serious injury tothe passenger in the seat upon impact.
 10. The system of claim 9,further comprising an energy absorption system configured to absorbenergy from the translational control system, wherein the one or morecomputing devices is further configured to absorb, using the energyabsorption system, energy from the translational control system to causethe seat to translate toward the determined location at a controlledrate upon impact.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or morecomputing devices is configured to translate, using the translationalcontrol system, the seat of the vehicle by sliding the seat of thevehicle toward the determined location upon impact in order to reduceforces on the passenger in the seat caused by the imminent impact. 12.The system of claim 8, wherein the seat of the vehicle is configured toallow the passenger in the seat to translate along the collision axisindependent from the seat of the vehicle.
 13. The system of claim 12,wherein the seat comprises a deformable material such that the passengerin the seat may translate during impact independent from the seat. 14.The system of claim 8, wherein the most favorable orientation of theseat is an angle that is parallel to the collision axis with a front ofthe seat facing away from the determined location.
 15. The system ofclaim 8, further comprising the vehicle.
 16. The system of claim 15,wherein the vehicle is capable of operating autonomously.
 17. Anon-transitory, computer-readable medium on which instructions arestored, the instructions, when executed by one or more computingdevices, causing the one or more computing devices to perform a method,the method comprising: determining that an impact is imminent at alocation on a vehicle along a collision axis; determining a mostfavorable orientation of a seat of the vehicle for the determinedlocation of the impact and the collision axis, the most favorableorientation being an angle to the collision axis prior to impact atwhich there is at least one of (i) a least likelihood of injury to apassenger in the seat given the determined location and the collisionaxis or (ii) a highest performance of a personal restraint system giventhe determined location and the collision axis; rotating the seat of thevehicle to the most favorable orientation prior to impact in order toreduce risks of serious injury to the passenger in the seat upon impact;translating the seat of the vehicle to reduce risks of serious injury tothe passenger by sliding a base portion of the seat along a guide rail;and selectively dispense a fluid or a deformable material to the guiderail in order to absorb at least a portion of energy caused by theimpact.
 18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the translating the seat ofthe vehicle includes sliding the seat of the vehicle a distance awayfrom the determined location prior to impact to reduce risks of seriousinjury to the passenger in the seat upon impact.
 19. The medium of claim17, wherein the translating the seat of the vehicle includes sliding theseat of the vehicle toward the determined location upon impact in orderto reduce acceleration forces on the passenger in the seat caused by theimminent impact.
 20. The medium of claim 19, wherein the method furthercomprises absorbing energy from translating the seat of the vehicle tocause the seat to translate toward the determined location at acontrolled rate upon impact.
 21. A method comprising: determining, byone or more computing devices, that an impact is imminent at a locationon a vehicle; and selectively, by the one or more computing devices,dispensing a fluid or a deformable material onto a guide on which a seatof the vehicle can slide in order to absorb at least a portion of energycaused by the impact.
 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising,estimating an amount of desired energy absorption based on one or moreparameters associated with the imminent impact, and wherein selectivelydispensing the fluid or the deformable material is further based on theestimated amount of desired energy absorption.